Directions (1-8): In
the following questions, a sentence is given in bold. Then three paragraphs are
given. From the given paragraphs you need to choose those that help us to infer
the given bold sentence.
Q1. Business growth of
the entities is thwacked due to liquidity crisis
(I) Bank lending for most housing finance companies has dried
up and as a result, cost of funds for these lenders have gone up substantially.
Some of the home loan companies have either defaulted on repayment or have
deferred payment due to the liquidity crisis.
According to a study by rating agency Crisil, growth of asset under
management of housing finance companies halved in the second half of the
201819.
(II) The liquidity crisis post the IL&FS default has hit
the assets under management (AUM) of Housing Finance Companies (HFC) and also
curtailed their disbursements, a report by rating agency Crisil said, adding
that it expects growth to revive to 12 per cent to 14 per cent for these
companies in the current and next fiscal.
(III) Housing finance companies are expecting higher refinance
limits from the National Housing Bank, in the Budget, to tide over the current
liquidity crisis they are facing. Some of the mortgage lenders and business
leaders have written to the Finance Ministry requesting that their proposal be
considered, the chief executive officer of a housing finance company
(a) only II
(b) only I
(c) both II and III
(d) both I and III
(e) all I, II, III
Q2. Only traditional aid and government finance are not enough for the
scale of the developmental challenge
(I) Traditional aid is often provided by means of supporting
local development aid projects. In these projects, it sometimes occurs that no
strict code of conduct is in force. In some projects, the development aid
workers do not respect the local code of conduct. For example, the local dress
code as well as social interaction. In developing countries, these matters are
regarded highly important.
(II) Britain’s statements around severing of aid to
middle-income countries including China and India created the impression that
it had stopped all funding to the countries, when in fact the government is
still giving both nations millions of pounds. Critics of UK aid often point out
that India and China, which receive some UK aid, have active space exploration
programmes.
(III) An estimated $7 billion has been spent under corporate
social responsibility (CSR) programmes run by government in the last four years
until March 2019 in India. That is a substantial sum spent for development.
Recently, Wipro’s Azim Premji also committed $7.5 billion to charity. The
estimated investment gap that requires to be bridged to achieve our sustainable
development goals (SDGs) worldwide is $2.5-3 trillion annually. This makes it
imperative to unlock new funding sources, debt and equity, for development. It
is in this context that one should look at the emergence and increasing use of
social impact and development impact bonds (SIBs/DIBs).
(a) only II
(b) only III
(c) both II and III
(d) only I
(e) None of these
Q3. Cooperation between the centre and state is a must for agricultural
reforms
(I)
Nearly 70pc of subsidies, taxes and other financial transfers involving farmers
come from policies that heavily distort markets, notably by creating an
artificial gap between domestic and world prices, the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development said in an annual survey of agriculture policy. After significant
steps in the early 2000s to reduce subsidies supporting production and prices,
which the OECD sees as wasteful and preventing structural investments in
farming, reform progress “has largely stalled” in the past decade, it
said in the report published this week.
(II) An
expert committee on land leasing constituted by the NITI Aayog had come out
with the Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act, 2016. Land leasing reforms, if
carried out by state governments, will contribute immensely towards inclusive
growth. However, it has been adopted fully in only a few states of India so
far. Agriculture being a state subject, the central government formulates
policy guidelines, advises, and allocates funds. Cooperation between the Centre
and the states is a sine qua non for the expeditious implementation of reforms
in the agriculture sector. Hence, a structured mechanism based on the
philosophy of cooperative federalism is the need of the hour.
(III)
The ‘Agriculture Export Policy, 2018’ seeks to double farm exports to $60
billion by 2022 from $30 billion last year, and will invest INR 1,400 crore to
set up specialised clusters in different states for different produce to push
exports. It also pushes for marketing reforms for doubling agricultural exports
to $60+ billion by 2022.
(a) only II
(b) only I
(c) both II and III
(d) both I and III
(e) None of these
Q4. A blow-hot-blow-cold pattern marks almost all of Trump’s relations
with countries the US is at odds with
(I) The
trouble is not just Trump’s brazen disregard for international rules and past
agreements, it is also the volatility that markets are made to suffer by all
the frequent shifting of America’s stance. Financial markets around the world
have been roiled on several occasions by a statement from Trump, only to find
their assumptions outdated shortly afterwards.
(II)
President Trump’s first steps on the global stage have sent shivers through the
world. He is openly arguing with autocrats, while fighting a trade war with
China and Europe and pulling out of international treaties. To many, his
decisions are severely damaging the global standing of the US.
(III)
Trumps talks with North Korea have bounced in every direction possible, and
nobody knows if a deal is on its way to being struck or coming apart. On China,
US trade negotiations had collapsed not long ago. Now Trump is ready to talk
again, with the threat of slapping a 25% tariff on some $300 billion worth of
imports from the People’s Republic kept aside—for the moment.
(a) only II
(b) only III
(c) both II and III
(d) both I and III
(e) None of these
Q5. Humans have lost the ability to press the correct action button owing
to the usage of machines
(I) Automated systems are improving so rapidly that they will
soon be able to do everything we can and more. Despite this, we still feel the
need to always have a human in the loop—to take over in case something untoward
happens. We do this because we believe that humans will always be able to apply
some instinctual intelligence to find solutions where machines can’t.
(II) Reliance on
automation has led to disaster in many situations. There have been people who
have trusted their navigation systems so implicitly that, despite the evidence
of their eyes, they have driven their cars off cliffs or into inhospitable
deserts without so much as a raised eyebrow. We are so accustomed to
turn-by-turn navigation that we’ve lost the art of finding our way by looking
for waypoints and landmarks along the way.
(III)
The pilots, in accordance with standard procedure, switched the flight to
autopilot within four minutes of take-off. The computer, which had been
programmed to hand over control to human pilots when it didn’t have enough data
to safely fly the plane, disengaged itself from the controls after telling the
pilots that they would have to fly it like a conventional aircraft. Which is
why, a pilot who, until now had rarely ever flown the plane at any time other
than take-off and landing, had to suddenly take control of the aircraft
mid-flight.
Based on
flight recorder evidence, his inexperience began to show almost immediately:
The plane began rocking from side to side and then inexplicably went into a
steep climb and crashed.
(a) only II
(b) only I
(c) both II and III
(d) both I and III
(e) None of these
Q6. Coaching
institutions undermine mainstream education and impose a huge cost on students
(I) Rising aspirations, combined with the falling quality of
mainstream education, have meant that examination-oriented tuitions have taken
over the lives of most school and college students in India. The coaching
industry also generates employment. However, since it is unregulated and
unorganised for the most part, it is difficult to estimate exactly how many
people are employed in this line of work.
(II) Coaching institutions are imposing a huge emotional cost
to society. They crush creativity. In most cases, they only help a student to
swiftly secure marks in some entrance exam. To signal merit, exams are only one
criterion, and not necessarily the best one. So, coaching institutions exist to
help people achieve only one idea of merit. They do not enhance human capital.
Confining students in classrooms and making them study subjects they often hate
destroys their natural talent. Hence, the social cost of these institutions
outweighs their benefit by far.
(III) In May, a deadly fire at a coaching centre in Surat
snuffed out 22 young lives. The rate of suicides in Kota, where many students
converge to prepare for entrance exams, remains high. And yet, the coaching
industry is rapidly growing. Data from the National Sample Survey Office’s 71st
round reveal that more than a quarter of Indian students take private coaching.
Also, it is providing with the information regarding employment in this sector.
(a) Only (I)
(b) Only (II)
(c) Only (III)
(d) Both (I) and (III)
(e) None of these.
Q7. Capital infusion is
the key reason in improvement of capital of banks
(I) In its latest monetary policy report, the RBI said recapitalisation
of public sector banks and the ongoing improvement in their financials, and
resolution of stressed assets under the insolvency and bankruptcy code are
expected to improve bank credit offtake and support investment and aggregate
demand.
(II) With the number of banks having more than 20% gross NPAs
coming down in March 2019, RBI said this implied a broader improvement in asset
quality. Credit growth of public sector banks were at 9.6% while private
lendsers continue to robust growth of 21%. Overall credit growth marginally
improved to 13.2% in March 2019 from 13.1% in September 2018.
(III) Following infusion by the government in public sector
banks, the overall capital ratio of commercial banks ameliorated from 13.7% in
September 2018 to 14.3% in March 2019, with state-run banks’ CAR ameliorating
from 11.3% to 12.2% during the period. However, there was a marginal decline in
the CAR of private sector banks.
(a) Only (I)
(b) Only (II)
(c) Only (III)
(d) Both (I) and (III)
(e) None of these.
Q8. The new bankruptcy
code yields its first success, but many wrinkles remain.
[I] The Finance Ministry now expects banks to recover more
than ₹1 lakh crore from the resolution of the other
cases referred by the RBI to the NCLT. If the banks do indeed recover funds of
this scale, it would considerably reduce the burden on taxpayers, who would
otherwise have to foot the bill for any recapitalisation of banks.
[II] The resolution of
case of Bhushan Steel, should not deflect attention from the many challenges
still plaguing the bankruptcy resolution process. The IBC, as the government
itself has admitted, remains a work in progress. This is a welcome piece of
legislation to the extent that it subsumes a plethora of laws that confused
creditors; instead it now offers a more streamlined way to deal with troubled
assets. But issues such as the proposed eligibility criteria for bidders have
left it bogged down and suppressed its capacity to help out creditors
efficiently.
[III] The strict time limit for the resolution process as
mandated by the IBC is an area that has drawn much attention, and it merits
further review in order to balance the twin objectives of speedy resolution and
maximising recovery for the lenders. To its credit, the government has been
willing to hear out suggestions.
(a) Only [III]
(b) Both [I] & [III]
(c) Only [II]
(d) Both [I] & [II]
(e) All [I], [II], [III]
Directions (9-15): There are two different sentences with a blank
space in each sentence. Choose the word from the given options which fits
appropriately in both the blanks adding a proper and logical meaning to the
sentences.
Q9. [I] The __________________ furniture
designer is known for turning unusual objects into tables and chairs.
[II] There were __________________ recluse
plans to convert the entire building into a private summer residence.
(a) eccentric
(b) apathetic
(c) lethargic
(d) insipid
(e) vapid
Q10. [I] Soft soap is used by dermatologists in the treatment
of __________________ eczema, and opodeldoc is a domestic
remedy for stiffness and sprains.
[II] There is no easy short-term solution to Britain’s __________________ economic
malaise.
(a) alternate
(b) impulsive
(c) chronic
(d) aberrant
(e) exclusive
Q11. [I] Regulations are changed on a whim, resulting in __________________ results
that distort long – established competitive values.
[II] When the astronomer looked into the telescope, he was
shocked by the sight of a star moving in an __________________ path.
(a) flourishing
(b) auspicious
(c) thriving
(d) aberrant
(e) groomed
Q12. [I] The absent-minded couple acted __________________ to
the mess their child made in the restaurant
[II] In his drunken stupor, Fred was __________________ to
the fact he was driving in the wrong lane.
(a) religious
(b) oblivious
(c) astute
(d) facile
(e) adroit
Q13. [I] Jefferson was an expert violinist, a good singer and
dancer, __________________ in outdoor sports, and an excellent
horseman.
[II] With practice people can become __________________ at
recognizing and turning off the tension within the body for themselves without
drugs.
(a) naive
(b) candid
(c) genuine
(d) scrupulous
(e) proficient
Q14. [I] Although the price of gasoline has risen three days
in a row, drivers appear to have no ____________________ to
filling their tanks.
[II] Older people who are unfamiliar with computer technology
often have a/an ____________________ to it.
(a) delight
(b) elation
(c) aversion
(d) function
(e) cognizance
Q15. [I] Because the scientist had only ____________________ to
back up his untested theory, he doubted if the university would offer him any
research funds.
[II] The jury rejected the attorney’s ____________________ about
the defendant’s motive because of a lack of evidence.
(a) conjecture
(b) feint
(c) homage
(d) case
(e) Supple
Solutions
S1. Ans. (e)
Sol. Thwacked means “strike forcefully with a
sharp blow; hit”, so, the sentence given becomes, “Business growth of the
entities is hit due to liquidity crisis”. The
statement (I) clearly tells that the banks lending for housing financing
companies has been vanished and the cost of funds for these businesses have
gone up. These home financing businesses have defaulted away. All this happened
because of the liquidity crisis. So, statement (I) is correct.
As, for the statement (II), it is given that the
IL&FS crisis led to liquidity crisis which impacted the growth of HFCs.
Therefore, the given inference can be driven from the paragraph (II).
In the statement (III), the housing finance
companies are hit by liquidity crisis. They are asking the finance minister to
increase the refinance limits from the NHB. Thus, this paragraph can be used to
infer the given sentence.
Hence, option (e) is the correct answer choice.
S2. Ans. (b)
Sol. From the given paragraphs, only the (III)
paragraph can be used to infer the given sentence. About $14.5 billion are
spent for development but still there is about $2.5-3 trillion required
to achieve the SDGs. So, to achieve this target new funding sources are
required like SIBs/DIBs.
As for the other two paragraphs,
the (II) paragraph tells that the UK government has
stopped the aid to middle income countries. Nothing is mentioned about the
insufficiency of the traditional aid to achieve the development. So, this
paragraph is irrelevant as per the given sentence.
For the (I) paragraph the information given is
about traditional aid and the problem with it. But nothing is mentioned about
development goals. Therefore, this paragraph can’t be used as well.
Thus, option (b) is correct answer choice.
S3. Ans. (a)
Sol. Federalism means “the mixed or compound mode
of government, combining a general government with regional governments in a
single political system.” So, the sentence given means that central and state
governments should together work to bring reforms in agriculture sector.
In the (I) paragraph the survey information of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is
given which is irrelevant as per the given sentence.
The paragraph (II) discusses about the relief benefits provided by the Indian government for
crop losses and damages caused by natural calamities. The state governments
should work with centre to provide the benefits to the farmers. The given
sentence can be easily inferred from the given paragraph (II).
As for paragraph (III) the Agri
Export Policy is discussed and nothing is discussed about reforms.
Thus, paragraph (II) is correct
and hence, option (a) is correct answer choice.
S4. Ans. (b)
Sol. The idiom “blow-hot-blow-cold” means “to be sometimes interested in something and
sometimes not”. And “at odds with” means “quarrelling or not agreeing with.”
So, the given sentence means that Trump is acting in a blow hot and cold way
with the various countries. Only the paragraph (III) can be used to infer the
given sentence. The deal with North Korea is uncertain. As well, the trade
negotiations between China and US had collapsed not long ago, but now Trump is
ready to talk again.
The paragraph (II) discusses about
the various steps of trump that are damaging the relations of US with the
world.
The paragraph (I) explains that
because of the actions of Trump the markets are suffering.
Hence, option (b) is correct answer
choice
S5. Ans. (c)
Sol. The paragraph (I) discusses about the need of
human in spite of automation.
The paragraph (II) tells us that human rely on
automated systems unnecessarily. Sometimes, this technology oriented approach
leads to disastrous situations. So, humans must know when to use these
automated systems.
For paragraph (III), a situation is given about a
crash that happened because of the automation errors. The automation system of
the plane shifted the controls to the pilots. And pilots didn’t have the
knowledge to fly the plane. Hence, the plane crashed. In normal situation,
autopilot used to fly the plan. So, pilots didn’t have the knowledge to fly the
plane and relied on the autopilot. Which, in this case resulted in a disaster.
Therefore, paragraphs (II) and (III) can be used
to infer the given sentence. Hence, option (c) is correct answer choice.
S6. Ans. (b)
Sol. Going through the options, we can see that option (I) is
talking about the reason for the rise in the examination oriented tuitions or
coaching. So from this, first part of the statement can be inferred but it
fails to provide any fact supporting the second part of the given statement.
The second option seems appropriate answer choice because
there is mention of emotional demerits and loss of creativity in the students.
Also, the given passage is highlighting that coaching institutes only focus on
securing marks in some entrance exam only which is opposite to the idea of main
stream education which means practice of placing students with special
education services in a general education classroom during specific time
periods based on their skills. Hence, the given statement can be clearly
inferred from this option.
Option (III) is discussing about the rise in the coaching
industry even with so many ruinous events that occurred in the past.
So the most appropriate answer choice is option (b)
S7. Ans. (d)
Sol. The given statement can be inferred from the first and
third paragraphs. In the first paragraph it is clearly mentioned that
recapitalization of the PSB is expected to improve the bank credit which is
similar to the Capital Adequacy Ratio. Also, in option (III), ameliorating
means make something better. So the given statement can be inferred easily from
the given statements. Hence, the correct answer choice is option (d)
S8. Ans. (c)
Sol. Among the given paragraphs, only the second paragraph justifies the
inference mentioned above. The paragraph clearly states the resolution of
Bhushan Steel under IBC and further it mentions the shortcomings that still
prevail within the system. The other two
paragraphs provide incomplete information in context of the inference. Hence,
option (c) is the most suitable answer choice.
S9. Ans. (a)
Sol. The blank can be filled with the word ‘Eccentric’ making
the sentence meaningful. Eccentric means a
person of unconventional and slightly strange views or behaviour. Other
words are irrelevant and do not fit in the context of the sentence here. Hence
option (a) is the correct choice.
Apathetic means showing or
feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern.
Lethargic means affected by
lethargy; sluggish and apathetic.
Insipid means lacking
flavour; weak or tasteless.
Vapid means offering
nothing that is stimulating or challenging; bland.
S10. Ans. (c)
Sol. The blank can be filled with the word ‘Chronic’ making
the sentence meaningful. In sentence [I] chronic means (of an illness)
persisting for a long time or constantly recurring while in sentence
[II] it means of a very poor quality. Other words are
irrelevant and do not fit in the context of the sentence here. Hence option (c)
is the correct choice.
Impulsive means acting or done
without forethought.
Aberrant means departing from
an accepted standard.
S11. Ans. (d)
Sol. The blank can be filled with the word ‘Aberrant’ making
the sentence meaningful. Aberrant means departing from an accepted
standard or diverging from the normal type. Other words are irrelevant and
do not fit in the context of the sentence here. Hence option (d) is the correct
choice.
Auspicious means conducive to
success; favourable.
Thriving means prosperous and
growing; flourishing
S12. Ans. (b)
Sol. The blank can be filled with the word ‘Oblivious’ making
the sentence meaningful. Oblivious means not
aware of or concerned about what is happening around one. Other words are
irrelevant and do not fit in the context of the sentence here. Hence option (b)
is the correct choice.
Astute means having or
showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to
one’s advantage.
Facile means (especially of
success in sport) easily achieved; effortless
Adroit means clever or
skillful.
S13. Ans. (e)
Sol. The blank can be filled with the word ‘proficient’ making
the sentence meaningful. Proficient means competent
or skilled in doing or using something. Other words are irrelevant and do
not fit in the context of the sentence here. Hence option (e) is the correct
choice.
Naïve means (of a person
or action) showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgement.
Candid means truthful and
straightforward; frank.
Scrupulous means (of a person
or process) careful, thorough, and extremely attentive to details
S14.
Ans. (c)
Sol.
The blank can be filled with the word ‘aversion’ making the sentence
meaningful. Aversion means a strong dislike or disinclination. Other words are
irrelevant and do not fit in the context of the sentence here. Hence option (c)
is the correct choice.
Delight
means take great pleasure in.
Elation
means great happiness and exhilaration.
Cognizance
means knowledge or awareness
S15.
Ans. (a)
Sol.
The blank can be filled with the word ‘conjecture’ making the sentence
meaningful. Conjecture means an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of
incomplete information. Other words are irrelevant and do not fit in the
context of the sentence here. Hence option (a) is the correct choice.
Feint
means make a deceptive or distracting movement, especially during a fight.
Homage
means special honour or respect shown publicly.
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